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Newsletter # 14 |
Werewolves of dry creek It seems to be my lot in life to find similarity in completely unrelated events, artistic genres or people. While I should be giving you the lowdown on our latest, and greatest Syrah, the 2001, I’m reflecting on the careers of two profound singer/songwriters, Warren Zevon and Johnny Cash, who died last month. Both men found beauty in the dark end of society’s street. They delivered their songs with a distinct, soulful and yet barely melodic voice. I can relate; not only personally, but in the pursuit of making wine. Cash is an American icon. His sphere of influence is so broad that even local garage bands, like the Feud, play punk versions of Burning Ring of Fire. The haunting figure of a man dressed in black and sporting a guitar on his back will forever embody Nashville’s contribution to American music. He was, like most important musical figures, open to new styles and forms of music beyond Country, much like the varying styles of Zinfandel. But his distinctive voice carried them all gracefully. Zevon’s passing actually meant more to me. I first saw Warren many years ago when he opened for, and promptly blew away, Jackson Browne (how hard could that have been, really?). His lyrics, dripped in satire, were delivered in a strangely sentimental way. Songs that make you laugh and cry at the same time--you gotta like that. You might recall his most popular album, “Excitable Boy,” a title that surely personified the man. For better and worse, I’ve often been called the same. Perhaps so have a few of our wines. “Werewolves of London” comes to mind when I think about our 1997 Syrah. Over the years, Zevon’s songwriting has jumped between two extremes: crude, honest satire and tender sentiment. Even Zevon’s most ardent supporters would concede his songs lacked concinnity. They were, conversely, blunt observations from a man having difficulty taking himself seriously. Hmm, sound familiar? Unfortunately this man was on a self-destructive mission not unlike the comic figures he wrote about, (Whoa, this is getting too familiar) which probably contributed to his shortened life. On Zevon’s last CD, recorded after learning of his terminal illness, the songwriting is more seasoned and less prone to extremes. His irreverent songs, such as the brilliant “My Dirty Life and Times”, are not crude. While the sentimental “Keep Me In Your Heart for Awhile”, which will surely have you running for the nearest box of tissues, is obviously very real. It’s honest and beautiful. In our six years of making Syrah, we are constantly contemplating extremes in winemaking philosophies that are not unlike those within Warren Zevon’s songs. Should we present raw expressions of our vineyard terrior or a more polished “international style” Syrah? The former being less refined, perhaps containing the earthy side of Syrah--one which is familiar to fanatics of the varietal. The latter would result from using techniques, such as micro-oxygenation to eliminate off-odors or aging our Syrah in certain types of new oak barrels for complexity--both undoubtedly broaden consumer acceptance. Ultimately, we’ve made decisions that hopefully strike a balance between the two philosophies. Like Zevon’s last effort, our recent vintage Syrahs represent the soul of our vineyard in a more professional presentation. Okay, so the comparison is a bit of a stretch. We all draw inspiration from something or someone. Usually I find mine from my two beautiful daughters. Occasionally, though, as in the case of this newsletter, it comes from left field (other than Rickey Henderson, I mean that metaphorically). Thanks, Warren. As Bob Dylan once said, “I’ll Keep It with Mine.” MU 2001 Syrah
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| 4 2 0 2 D r y C r e e k R o a d - H e a l d s b u r g C A 9 5 4 4 8 - t e l 7 0 7 - 4 3 3 - 5 5 9 0 / f a x 7 0 7 - 4 3 3 - 5 5 9 1 Copyright ã 1997-2006 Unti Vineyards. All rights reserved. |
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